Tag: ramona

How popular is the baby name Ramona in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Find out using the graph below! Plus, see baby names similar to Ramona and check out all the blog posts that mention the name Ramona.

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Popularity of the Baby Name Ramona

Number of Babies Named Ramona

Posts that Mention the Name Ramona

Dolores del Rio as Ramonain Ramona (1928)Actress Dolores del Rio was the star of not one but two silent films with theme songs that influenced the baby name charts.

In 1926 she played Charmaine in What Price Glory?, and two years later she played the titular character in Ramona, which was based on the book Ramona (1884) by Helen Hunt Jackson.

The book is a tragic romance set in mid-19th century Southern California, and the protagonists are Ramona, a mixed-race Scottish–Native American orphan, and her lover Alessandro.

Like Trilby a decade later, Ramona was a bestseller that inspired many namesakes: schools, streets, freeways, even towns (such as Ramona, California). The number of human namesakes is harder to gauge, though the U.S. Census of 1900 indicates that there was a moderate increase in the number Ramonas in 1884.

Still, the book’s impact on baby names can’t compare to the impact of its most successful film adaptation, Ramona (1928)…thanks in large part to the music.

The song “Ramona” was commissioned for the film in 1927, and released later that year — long before the film came out in May of 1928, interestingly. It was a big hit with more than two million copies sold and two different versions reaching #1 on the Billboard charts in 1928: first the Paul Whiteman version for 3 weeks, then the Gene Austin version for 8 more weeks.

This song, the first to borrow a film’s title, became the most successful movie theme song of the decade, and greatly enhanced the success of the film. Its popularity gave Hollywood producers much food for thought about how to publicize movies.

Usage of the baby name Ramona, already on the rise in the late 1920s, increased so much in 1928 that the name nearly reached the top 100:

1931: 1,130 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 164th]

1930: 1,410 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 149th]

1929: 2,036 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 120th]

1928: 2,237 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 117th]

1927: 567 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 277th]

1926: 467 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 307th]

1925: 450 baby girls named Ramona [rank: 313th]

So where does the name Ramona come from?

Ramona and its masculine form, Ramón, are the Spanish versions of Raymond, which is ultimately based on the Germanic words ragin, meaning “advice, decision, counsel,” and mund, meaning “protection.”

Readers Tracie and Hugh Roarty, who are expecting a baby girl in August, would like a few baby name suggestions.

We have an almost 5 year old son and 3 year old daughter. Their names are Liam Robert and Brenna Kelly. My husband and I are both of Irish American descent. I had loved the name Liam since I was a child (am a bit shocked at how popular it is becoming now!). Their middle names are both family names.

Tracie, Hugh, Liam and Brenna currently live in Belgium, but they’ll be moving back to the U.S. before the baby arrives. They keep track of their travels at Belgian Bloggin, where Tracie recently announced her pregnancy. Tracie mentioned that Brenna would like to name the baby Rapunzel, while Liam would simply like to use the name Brenna again. :)

We have decided that we do not want another very Irish name (I feel like it will start to sound like we wish we lived in Ireland – if that makes sense?).

The names I have been drawn to so far are Margot and Valerie – both French I believe. I think it is the European influence on me. I like that these names are easily recognizable but not extremely popular.

The middle name would be either Patricia or Claire (our mothers names). For the two names so far we like Margot Patricia or Valerie Claire.

I love both Margot and Valerie.

Here are some other names I think Tracie and Hugh might like as well:

Alice
Carla
Caroline
Celeste
Claudia
Charlotte

Diana
Elise/Elisa
Gemma
Johanna
Julia
Marie/Maria

Marion
Matilda
Miranda
Mona
Nicole
Portia

Ramona
Rosalie
Sabine
Sara
Sylvie/Sylvia
Stephanie

Which of the above do you like best for Liam and Brenna’s baby sister? What other names would you suggest?

She also mentions that the names Olivia, Catherine and Julia are off the table.

This is a curious case. Andi would like to avoid trendy names, yet many of the names she likes are very trendy right now. Ava and Chloe are in the top 10. Grace and Lily are in the top 20. Isabelle is similar to #1 name Isabella. Ellie is similar to #14 Ella. Addie and Maddie are also nicknames for #12 Addison and #7 Madison.

So the challenge will be finding a name to go with Emma and Ethan that sounds trendy, but isn’t. Here are some ideas:

Adele
Alice
Althea
Anne
Calla
Camille
Celeste
Celia
Claribel

Diane
Delia
Flora
Helen
Jane
Johanna
Josephine
Josie
Larissa

Lucia
Lydia
Mabel
Marie
Marina
Marla
Naomi
Nelle
Nicole

Opal
Ramona
Risa
Sabina
Sylvia
Talia
Thea
Theresa
Willa

Which of these do you like best with Emma and Ethan? What other names would you suggest to Andi?

Now middles. It’s tricky to pick a middle if the first isn’t already in place, but here are some possibilities. Names on the left have a stress on the first syllable, names on the right have a stress on the second syllable.

Nina
Nita
Nola
Norah
Norma

Nadine
Nanette
Nicole
Noelle
Noreen

What first names would you suggest for the sibling of Kendra, Carmen and Matteo? What middle names would you pair with those first names?

A reader named Tiffany is expecting her third baby (gender unknown) in a couple of months. The boy name has been picked, but the girl name has been harder to come by. Here’s what she says:

We have two daughters, Vivian Grace and Margaret Anne. I like the first name Elise but struggle with a middle name for it ~ better to be brief, or do I go more dramatic?

We like Carmen, Veronica and Iris. I love Beatrix and Simone.

Because Elise is (visually) the shortest name in the group and has a unique rhythm, I think I would go for a middle that’s slightly more dramatic — something traditional like Grace and Anne, but with an added syllable or two. I might try Charlotte, Irene, Michelle, Naomi or Nicole. Of the names listed, I think Carmen could work.

As far as alternative first names go, out of the current favorites, I’m partial to Iris and Simone. (Vivian already has a V-name, Tiffany’s surname already starts with a B, and Carmen just doesn’t sound quite right to me as the sister of Vivian and Margaret.)

Most of the names Tiffany mentioned end with a consonant sound, so that’s what I focused on while brainstorming for other first name suggestions. Here are the results — consonant-endings on the left, the rest on the right:

As for middles: Linden’s middle name is Anders, and Everett’s middle name is André, so my first instinct was to suggest they continue the pattern with something like Andrea or Andreas.

Other than that, I have a hard time coming up with middles when there’s no first name in place. I personally like Astrid, Gustav, Inger, Johan, Olga, Sören…but how well these work will depend a lot upon the sound/rhythm of the first name.

Do you like any of the above names with Linden and Everett? What others would you suggest to Britta and her husband?

Update – The baby is here! Scroll down to see what name Britta and Morgan chose.